


Not So Little Anymore

by keita52



Series: Story Limbo [1]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: A blatant Dragon Age reference, A hint of Talibrations, Dad Shepard, F/M, Gen, Mass Effect Kink Meme, Meet-Cute (kind of), No Shepard without Vakarian, Overprotective Garrus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-02
Updated: 2016-11-01
Packaged: 2018-08-28 13:47:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8448325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keita52/pseuds/keita52
Summary: Urdnot Grunt and Solana Vakarian fall in love.Garrus is NOT happy.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on Mass Effect Kink Meme. Prompt is the plot summary, with the following bonuses:
> 
> Bonus: Shepard set them up.  
> Bonus: It started when Solana knocked Grunt to the ground, for some reason.

“Shepard!”

Grunt’s ear-splitting roar made John Shepard flinch back from his computer. He had a short spike of fear as he wondered what Grunt could be up to this time. “Grunt!” he said, as heartily as he could manage while his ears were still ringing. “What’s going on?”

“This party you’re throwing,” Grunt said, in his normal booming tone (which would probably still have been considered very loud). “I want to bring someone. The, ahhh, female that we’ve talked about before.”

“Oh!” Shepard said, feeling proud of the young krogan. “So things have been going well with your lady turian friend.”

“Very well,” Grunt said. “She’s … amazing, Shepard. Strong and spirited.”

Shepard laughed. “Well, good for you.” He paused. “Grunt … you had a good idea. That’s the sort of thing people would normally do in these situations. But I’m not sure that this is the best party to bring her to. It’s just going to be the Normandy crew. She won’t know anyone but you. It could be overwhelming.”

“But there will be someone there that she knows besides me,” Grunt said. “Her brother.”

“Her-” Shepard began, and then it hit him. He put his forehead down on his desk and thumped it gently a few times. Why, oh why, had he never asked what the turian’s name was? It wasn’t surprising that Grunt had never thought to mention it. There were a lot of simple social matters that Grunt simply didn’t get. That was why he’d been asking Shepard for advice on wooing the woman who had, rather unexpectedly, captured his attention while he was on Palaven.

“Shepard?” Grunt asked. “What is that sound? Is someone shooting at you?” He sounded far too excited at that prospect.

“Ah - no, Grunt.” Shepard reluctantly pulled his head off his desk and looked back at the computer. “Her brother - that’s Garrus, right?”

“Of course,” Grunt replied, sounding puzzled. “Which other turian will be there?”

“And did she - I don’t know, tell Garrus that she was on the Citadel and in your company?”

“Well, she said she wanted it to be a surprise.”

Or, Shepard thought cynically, she knew how Garrus was going to react and wanted to make it so he’d be less likely to cause a scene. He resisted the urge to sigh. He didn’t want to discourage Grunt. Shepard could tell that Grunt was happy, being in this relationship. Not to mention that Shepard had frequently wished to meet this woman and thank her for the influence she was having on Grunt. The young krogan was maturing, his horizons expanding to things that weren’t related to violence, which was an excellent thing in Shepard’s mind.

Shepard forced himself to sound enthusiastic. “Sure, she can come.” 

“Yeah!” Grunt said loudly, causing Shepard to wince again. 

“Is she on the Citadel right now, Grunt?”

“Nah,” Grunt said. “On her way from Palaven now, with her father. But don’t worry, she’ll be here in time for the party.”

Shepard nodded. This was one of those times where he could wish he wasn’t so loyal to his friends, so clearly able to see what the right thing was even if it was going to hurt someone in the process. “I’m sure. Well, listen, Grunt, I have to go. Looking forward to seeing you there.” He paused. “And meeting Solana.”

“It’s gonna be a hell of a party, Shepard,” Grunt said, chuckling as he hung up.

Shepard leaned back in his chair for a minute after the connection ended. He almost wished there was another Reaper to face on foot rather than make the next call. But stalling wasn’t going to change things.

He sent a message to Garrus, asking him to come over for a chat - and then raided the stash of alcohol he’d picked up for the party, specifically the dextro-friendly beer. He had a feeling Garrus was going to need some.


	2. Chapter 2

“I still can’t get over how big this place is, Shepard,” Garrus said, tilting his head back to look at the ceiling of Shepard’s apartment. “A lot of soft spots that I could breach in a heartbeat if I was, say, looking to replace you with a clone…”

“Very funny, Garrus,” Shepard said dryly. “Want a beer?” He nodded at the bottles on his coffee table.

Garrus gave him a quizzical look. “Trying to get me drunk so you can have your wicked way with me, Shepard?” he asked, but he did pick up the beer and crack it open. “I had no idea you cared. What _would_ Liara say?”

“I’d start recording and then release the footage as payback for having betrayed me in such a manner,” Liara said calmly as she walked over to stand next to Shepard. When he’d first come into possession of Anderson’s apartment, Shepard had made it _very_ clear to Liara that she was to consider it _her_ space as well. She smiled warmly at him and as he returned the smile he reflected, once again, on how damned lucky he was to have met her. “Hello, Garrus. I wasn’t aware that you were coming by.”

“Sorry,” Shepard said, putting an arm around Liara’s waist. “Somewhat of a last minute decision. I got some news that was best shared in person. Good news,” he said, to head off any dark thoughts that might have sprouted in his friend’s mind. 

“You’ll forgive me if I’m still a bit nervous about this ‘good news’,” Garrus replied. “Given the manner with which you approached it.”

“Can’t say I blame you,” Shepard said with a sigh, sitting down on the couch. Liara sat next to him, and Garrus took a seat opposite them both. “So, technically, this is good news and bad news, but I want to stress that it’s mostly good news,” Shepard began.

“Not helping, Shepard,” Garrus said, his tone slightly warning.

“Right. Well.” Shepard took a deep breath, and then continued. “The _good_ news is that your sister and father are alive and on their way to the Citadel.”

There was no mistaking the relief that broke over Garrus’ face at that news, his mandibles relaxing and the tension he’d been carrying for God only knew how long easing out of him. “Thank the spirits,” Garrus said softly, barely above a whisper. “The last message I had said they were going to try to do that, but they weren’t sure if they could pull it off. There’s so many people trying to leave…” He looked up at Shepard. “How did you find that out?”

“Well, that kind of leads into the ‘bad news’ part,” Shepard said slowly. “You remember I told you about Grunt’s turian girlfriend?”

Liara smiled. “Ah, yes. Shepard told me this story. Somehow it doesn’t surprise me that the woman who attracted Grunt’s attention was someone who managed to get the drop on him.”

“Fired a concussive round at him while he was doing a sweep of buildings in Cipritine, looking for survivors, if I’m remembering correctly,” Garrus said. “Serves him right for not being careful enough. It’s exactly the sort of thing that my sister … would … have …” Garrus trailed off as he put the pieces together. His expression reminded Shepard of someone who’d just been hit over the head with something large and heavy. His grip on the bottle tightened until it shattered and the beer splattered all over his legs and the couch. He didn’t seem to notice.

“He’s a dead krogan when I get my hands on him,” Garrus declared in a firm voice. “Or, no, I won’t _have_ to get my hands on him. I just need to find the perfect sniper nest…”

“Garrus,” Shepard said, matching his friend’s tone, “no one is going to shoot anyone else.”

“How can you say that? That’s my _little sister_ he’s … he’s …” Garrus waved a hand instead of finishing the terrifying thought he was clearly having. 

“And when you didn’t know who she was, you were quite happy to give me some turian-specific advice to pass on to him,” Shepard said. 

“Yes, well, _now_ I want him to humiliate himself so badly that she’ll never want to see his ugly face again,” Garrus snarled. “How could she - how could he -” He swerved his head to glare at Shepard. “Did _you_ know?”

Shepard raised both of his hands in a placating gesture. “I only found out when he asked if he could bring her to the party.”

“Grunt is bringing _my sister_ as his _date_ to your _party?!_ ”

“Look on the bright side!” Shepard said. “She’ll be on the Citadel soon, and you’ll get to see that she’s alive and well yourself.”

Garrus glared at Shepard, who did his best to keep a neutral expression. He swore that he could _feel_ Liara trying not to laugh. “I really should try to keep that in mind,” Garrus said after a moment. “There’s far too many turians that aren’t getting off Palaven.” He paused. “But - _Grunt?_ ”

Shepard sighed. “Did I mention the part where I’ve been giving him relationship advice this whole time, so that he treats her with respect, because if he didn’t she’d have used the concussion rounds again? From what Grunt tells me, she’s almost as tough as you are.”

“Hmph. You’re trying to distract me.”

“Yes,” Shepard agreed cheerfully.

“It won’t work forever,” Garrus warned.

“I figure you’ll get hungry eventually,” Shepard said with a shrug.

“Hmph,” Garrus said again, leaning back on the couch slightly. “Too bad that sushi place had to close.”

“Are you ever going to leave that alone?”

Garrus grinned. “Not a chance.” There was a long pause, and then he said, “ _Grunt._ ”

“What exactly is the issue with Grunt?” Shepard asked. “You seemed to get along pretty well with him on the Normandy. Is it just because he’s a krogan?”

“He’s … really _young_ , Shepard,” Garrus replied.

“That’s just because he’s tank-bred,” Shepard assured him. “He’s catching up pretty fast. He did earn the command of Aralakh Company.”

“Because the ability to head-butt other krogan into submission is exactly the sort of thing that I look for when assessing my sister’s boyfriends,” Garrus said dryly.

“And think about who his role models have been,” Shepard continued. “Me and Wrex.”

Garrus gave him a long stare that was centimeters short of being a glare. “ _Wrex._ ”

“You did see how he behaved around Eve, right?” Shepard pressed. “She stood up to him. Hell, Garrus, you were with me when we went to Tuchanka to cure the genophage. Eve handled a group of krogan as well as anyone I’ve ever seen, and Wrex _let her do it._ Grunt could do a lot worse for a krogan male to emulate.”

“Not to mention,” Liara said, smiling softly, “that we all know what I would do to Shepard if he treated me with less than perfect respect.”

 “Ah, that’s just because you know all his dirty little secrets,” Garrus said, smiling. “ _Shadow Broker._ ”

“I am appalled that you would insinuate such a thing,” Liara said with just a hint of indignation. “I am an archaeologist.”

“Do archaeologists _usually_ threaten to flay people alive with their minds?” Garrus asked curiously.

Liara’s face took on an expression of pure innocence. “I cannot recall ever having said such a thing.”

“Smooth, Liara,” Garrus commented, grinning at her.

“I rather thought so,” Liara replied. Her hand closed around Shepard’s, and he squeezed it softly. 

Garrus folded his arms across his chest, silent and contemplative for a moment, and then turned his gaze on Shepard. “I want the exact time of their arrival on the Citadel,” he said. “To the _second._ ”

“If Grunt won’t tell me, Spectre clearance should be able to let me know,” Shepard said with a nod. “I’ll make sure you get that information, Garrus.” He paused. “And I’ll be there with you to greet them. As a friend.”

Garrus sighed. “Fine, Shepard. We’ll do it your way.”

“Good,” Shepard said with a nod. “While you’re here, I wanted to ask your opinion on dextro food for the party.” He was pleased to see Garrus nod and finally allow himself to be pulled away from the thorny topic of Grunt and Solana. Glyph made himself known and started making adjustments to the list of supplies based on the answers Garrus provided. Shepard allowed himself to relax, even as he knew that the problem wasn’t fully resolved yet. For the moment, though, it was nice to slip back into the illusion that planning a party for his friends was the worst thing he had to deal with.


	3. Chapter 3

Two days later, Shepard stood besides Grunt and Garrus as they waited outside of the security screen for the transport carrying Garrus’ sister and father. No one had said much of anything, a fact which they could all conceivably blame on the sheer number of people around them. There was a constant stream of refugees passing through the screen to greet friends and loved ones already on the Citadel, and most people were none too shy about expressing their joy and relief at being reunited. Shepard was keeping one eye on Grunt and the other on Garrus, but both were behaving themselves. Grunt still seemed oblivious to the potential of displeasure from his turian friend, and Garrus was presumably too anxious to pick a fight with the krogan.

Garrus straightened up, his features alert, as a group of turian refugees poured through the security screen. “Dad! Sol!” he shouted, his hand shooting into the air and waving in the universal ‘I’m over here!’ gesture.

A moment later, Shepard spotted the pair of them weaving through the crowd. It wasn’t hard to pick them out, as they both wore markings that were nearly identical to Garrus’. If there were any differences, his untrained human eye couldn’t pick them out. Solana Vakarian was the first to make it to them, beaming at her brother as she moved into his waiting arms. After a moment she broke off the hug and turned to Grunt, who surprised them all by sweeping her up and spinning her around. Solana’s laugh of delight was loud and genuine despite Garrus turning a glare on the krogan.

Shepard elbowed his friend before offering a hand to Garrus’ father. “I’m Commander John Shepard,” he said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Theirin Vakarian,” the older turian replied, clasping Shepard’s hand with a firm grip. “I’ve heard a lot about you. It’s nice to finally get the chance to see you in person.” Theirin was an older version of his son, his markings a lighter blue than Garrus’ and with more lines running across his face. His voice was deeper and also somewhat harsher.

“Garrus,” Theirin said, turning to face his son. “It’s so good to see you again.” 

“Dad,” Garrus replied. He extended his hand with a soft smile on his face. “I’m relieved that you’re here.”

Theirin took his son’s hand, then pulled him in close for a hug. The move took Garrus by surprise, but he didn’t fight it. He bent his head over his father’s shoulder and let out a deep breath. “Dad,” Garrus said again.

“I am so proud of you,” Theirin said. “I have to say that now in case I forget or lose my nerve later. You saved us.”

“Shepard-” Garrus began.

“Would not have been able to do it without you, Garrus,” the human in question interrupted. He knew that the relationship between Garrus and his father was still somewhat uneasy, and he wasn’t about to do anything to jeopardize the happy reunion.

Garrus let out another breath and took a step back, looking his father squarely in the face. “Thank you,” he said quietly.

Theirin nodded, then turned to look at Solana and Grunt. To Shepard’s surprise, he was smiling broadly. “I see you’ve managed to keep yourself alive, Grunt,” he said, his voice bright. 

“Heh heh heh,” Grunt said, letting go of Solana to crush Theirin in an enthusiastic embrace. Shepard saw a look of confusion and annoyance pass over Garrus’ face. “I knew you were too tough to die,” the krogan said before releasing Theirin. 

“As I kept telling him,” Solana said. She was an odd sight to Shepard’s eyes, most turians he’d interacted with over the years being male. There seemed to be more grace to her plates and features than he’d seen on any other turian, and her skin was slightly lighter - but she was still clearly a Vakarian, still cut from the same mold as Garrus and Theirin. “Hello, Commander. I’ve heard a great deal about you.”

“I’d imagine so,” Shepard said with a chuckle. “Good to meet you, Solana. I’d imagine you could both use some fresh food after the trip. Why don’t we head to a dextro-levo place I know nearby?”

Grunt and Solana walked arm-in-arm the whole way to the cafe. Garrus glared at them behind their backs and didn’t seem to notice his father’s attempts to distract him. 

The proprietor recognized Shepard and the five of them were seated right away at an outdoor table. The artificial sun said it was about noon, and the sky was bright and clear overhead. Both Solana and Theirin inhaled deeply as they took their seats, presumably appreciating the relative freshness of the air.

Silence reigned until the drinks - complimentary ones - were brought out and sipped. “So,” Garrus finally said, “how long are you on the Citadel? Are you staying, or-”

Theirin shook his head. “Not even my connections could make that happen, Garrus. We’ve got a week here and then we’re on our way out to one of the colony worlds.”

“It’s not as though we won’t be needed there,” Solana said. “Both of us will be working with the colony’s militia. Dad on the logistics side, me on the front lines.”  “That’s my girl,” Grunt said affectionately. Solana turned a beaming face on him while Garrus’ glare returned and intensified. Shepard wondered if Grunt really didn’t notice or if he thought that ignoring Garrus’ displeasure would somehow make it go away.

“And what are your plans?” Theirin asked Shepard.

“Back on the front lines as well,” Shepard said with a long sigh. “The Normandy’s almost ready to go and I have an appointment to keep with the Illusive Man.”

“Ah, yes,” Theirin said. His tone and expression were mirrors of Garrus’ when he was being wry. “Please give him my regards as well. I’m aware of his attempts to … interfere … with turian operations.”

“He has much to answer for,” Shepard said, meeting Theirin’s eyes. The older turian nodded in understanding, and perhaps even a bit of appreciation.

“And I’ll be with Shepard,” Garrus added. “Right to the end.”

“I know, son,” Theirin replied. “I wouldn’t stop you even if I thought I stood half a chance of succeeding. I understand you a bit better now, I think. Or I should say I understand Shepard better.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Garrus asked suspiciously.

Theirin turned to regard Grunt and Solana, who had taken the first excuse to put their heads together, holding each other’s hands. Shepard had never seen Grunt so relaxed and content - so happy in a situation that didn’t involve blood and guts. 

“It means that much of what Grunt said during our time together began with ‘Shepard says’ or ‘Shepard would’,” Theirin said. “That’s a very un-krogan krogan in many ways. He thinks. He takes care in certain matters. And I have no doubt about who is responsible for that behavior.” His gaze turned to Shepard. “Getting to know Grunt let me get to know Shepard as well. And I see now why you followed him, Garrus. Why you’re still following him. I won’t stand in your way - I know it wouldn’t do any good.” He smiled. “Not to mention that the Primarch would be displeased if I attempted to interfere.”

“Oh, of course,” Garrus said dryly. “We couldn’t disappoint the _Primarch._ ” There was an undertone to his words that Shepard couldn’t quite read, an uncertainty - or maybe disbelief? - that suffused the younger turian’s body as he looked at his father.

Theirin just clapped a hand on Garrus’ shoulder and beamed, which seemed to confuse Garrus. Shepard cleared his throat and decided to try changing the subject. “You’re welcome at the party tomorrow night as well, Theirin,” he said.

Theirin chuckled. “No, thank you. I’d be a bit too out of place there. Besides, excessive drinking and staying up until dawn doesn’t agree with me the way it used to. I would like to meet this quarian my son keeps talking about, though.”

Shepard took a minute to parse why Theirin would be so interested in meeting Tali, and then turned a speculative look on Garrus. “Something you haven’t been telling me?” he asked, his tone lightly teasing.

“I - what? No, it’s -” Garrus said, his mandibles flaring in embarrassment. “She’s just - a - friend. A good friend. Smart. Knows her ships.” If he’d been human, his face would have been bright red. Shepard discreetly composed a note on his omni-tool to Liara, asking her to have a word with Tali about their turian friend.


End file.
